Microstructure, Electrical and Thermal Conductivity of the As-Extruded Al-xMM (Mischmetal) Based Alloys

The effect of addition of Mischmetal (MM) on the microstructure, electrical and thermal conductivity, and mechanical properties of the as-extruded Al-MM based alloys were investigated. The studied AlxMM alloys (where x = 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 5.0 wt.%) were cast and homogenized at 550 °C for 4 h. The cast billets were extruded into 12 mm bars with an extrusion ratio of 39 at 550 °C. The addition of MM resulted in the formation of Al₁₁(Ce, La)₃ intermetallic compounds and the area fraction of these intermetallic compounds increased with an increase in the MM content. The Al₁₁(Ce, La)₃ phase, which was distributed in the as-cast alloys, was crushed into fine particles and arrayed along the extruded direction during the extrusion process. In particular, these intermetallic compounds in the extruded Al-5.0MM alloy were distributed with a wide-band structure due to the fragmentation of the eutectic phase with a lamellar structure. As the MM content increased from 1.0 wt.% to 5.0 wt.%, the average grain size decreased remarkably from 740 to 73 μm. This was due to formation of Al₁₁(Ce, La)₃ particles during the hot extrusion process, which promoted dynamic recrystallization and suppression of grain growth. The electrical and thermal conductivity of the extruded alloys containing up to 2.0 wt.% MM were around 60.5% IACS and 230 W/m · K, respectively. However, the electrical and thermal conductivity of the extruded alloy with 5.0 wt.% MM decreased to 55.4% IACS and 206 W/m · K, respectively. As the MM content increased from 1.0 wt.% to 5.0 wt.%, the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) was improved remarkably from 74 to 119 MPa which was attributed to the grain refinement and formation of Al₁₁(Ce, La)₃ intermetallic compounds by the addition of MM.